tohoku university of art & design: house m

‘house-m’ by tohoku university of art & design in yamagata, japan all images courtesy tohoku university of art & design image © kai nakamura (LiVES)

the department of architecture and environmental design at the tohoku university of art & design has completed ‘house-m’, a two-storey private dwelling in yamagata, japan. seeking to draw more attention to the importance of living sustainably, the house integrates passive energy systems into its operation to reduce its fossil energy needs to 10% of an ordinary japanese house.

south facadeimage © kai nakamura (LiVES)

opening up southwards with a deep overhang, the front elevation is characterized by generous stretches of sliding glass doors. an L-shaped outdoor terrace on the ground floor serves as an extension of the interior, enabling inhabitant to easily expand according to their programmatic needs. photovoltaic panels and solar thermal panels are installed on the roof for electricity and hot water supply.

featuring a large void between the two levels, natural ventilation is facilitated during the summer to enable a cooling effect for the interior. the atrium also acts as a lightwell, gaining addition daylight through strips of elevated windows. during the winter, a simple wood stove which runs through the second-storey tatami room provides heat.

interior viewimage © kai nakamura (LiVES)

living spaceimage © kai nakamura (LiVES)

towards outdoor terraceimage © kai nakamura (LiVES)

(left) dining space (right) from entranceimages © kai nakamura (LiVES)

interior openings between programsimage © kai nakamura (LiVES)

(left) elevated windows above atrium (right) from upper levelimages © kai nakamura (LiVES)

bedroomimage © kai nakamura (LiVES)

tatami roomimage © kai nakamura (LiVES)

floor plan / level 0 (1) entrance (2) living (3) dining (4) kitchen (5) lavatory (6) bathroom (7) wc (8) closet (9) boiler room (10) terrace

floor plan / level +1 (11) walk-in closet (12) main bedroom (13) tatami room (14) bedroom (15) void

section (2) living (3) dining (4) kitchen (8) closet (10) terrace (13) tatami room (14) bedroom (15) void